Alexander 1 Jeremy Alexander Prof. Kinnari Atit EDUC 211A 10 December 2019 Cognitive Benefits of Chess The primary purpose of this study is to investigate the differences between chess experts and novices in the context of developmental and cognitive psychology from the past century. The benefits of chess are far reaching – from improving IQ scores to better concentration and focus. As a beloved pastime for millennia, chess has also been described to be a game with perfect knowledge – a feature that has enabled it to be part of many experiments within psychology and education. Yet, over the course of most of the 20 th century, educational psychologists have struggled to contest these claims due to difficulties concerning the replicability of this elite mental sport - especially for diverse participants. Following the rise of female grandmasters, there has been a resurgence in research that has taken place concerning not only chess psychology and chess education, but also how women are portrayed in chess and the necessity for equity-based leadership programs. As such, the topic of chess mastery and educational psychology has been subject to much revision within the last two decades. After discussing these contemporary changes, I will also discuss some ways how recreational activities like chess could be used to leverage equitable changes in cognitive development for historically disadvantaged groups in a classroom setting.